


Lost in Space

by Gumnut



Series: Gentle Rain [9]
Category: Thunderbirds
Genre: F/M, Romance, Zero Gravity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-27
Updated: 2019-07-27
Packaged: 2020-07-21 05:49:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,149
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19996876
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gumnut/pseuds/Gumnut
Summary: From his initial random comment regarding a visit to Thunderbird Five, this moment was inevitable.





	Lost in Space

**Author's Note:**

> Nutty’s Fandomversary Fic Five - Scott and Space for @riotraze
> 
> This is set in the Rain Universe, Gentle Rain specifically, and focusses on the relationship between Scott Tracy and original character Em Harris. The story behind Em Harris can be found in [Gentle Rain](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17449979). This story references a line from the epilogue of that story.
> 
> _The lookout was deserted and as the sun disappeared, it grew dark and the city in the distance lit up in the yellows, white and oranges of street lighting, with the central business district standing bright as if a centre piece to the whole panorama._
> 
> _“There is something about looking down at a city at night. All those lights, a home, a house, a building, a street lamp. All defying the darkness, outlining where we’ve spread, our impact on our environment, our determination.”_
> 
> _“I should take you up to Thunderbird Five and let John show you his view.”_
> 
> _She was staring at him. “Into space?”_
> 
> _He smiled. “Yes, into space.” A sigh. “Sometimes I forget that some things we do are not every day things.”_
> 
> _“The Tracys don’t do ‘average’.”_
> 
> _“What?” It came out as a half laugh._
> 
> _“Kayo told me that the day I first arrived on Tracy Island. I have to say, she’s got it right.”_
> 
> _“I hope you don’t hold that against us.”_
> 
> _“Against you? No. You just have a little magic at your fingertips.”_
> 
> _“Magic.”_
> 
> _“Yes, magic.” She reached out and touched his face. “In more ways than one.”_
> 
> [A full listing of the Rain Universe stories which are Virgil/Kayo and Scott/Em can be found here.](https://nutty.gumnut.net/rain-series/)
> 
> I may add to this story in the future, it seems to be asking for more, but at the same time asked to stop where I stopped. I hope you enjoy it :D

Scott hated space.

No, that was incorrect. He didn’t hate it, he disliked it. He preferred the blue, the roar of rockets, the clap of sonic boom, the clouds, the Earth below and...speed.

In space, speed meant everything and nothing. With little reference, the fastest rocket, once it attains its cruising speed, may as well be sitting still for all the impression it makes on its passengers. Acceleration, sure, the Gs could crush you into your seat. Look out the window, though, unless you had a planet or moon in view, again, you might as well be standing still.

And the silence.

Outside the small pocket of air a spacecraft provided, there was no sound. No screaming rocket, no wind in his hair.

No, Scott disliked operating in space and for reasons that had little to do with its beauty and desolation.

But at this very moment, all of that could be ignored. At this moment, he loved it madly for what it could do.

Em floated free in Thunderbird Five’s central hub, sheer joy in her grin. John floated beside her, giving her his standard zeroG 101 speech. Scott sat to one side just happy to watch her happy.

From his initial random comment regarding a visit to Thunderbird Five, this moment was inevitable. Part of him just wanted to show her another aspect of his world, the wonder in his heart and soul that was International Rescue. Another part was the zeroG he knew would give her freedom she didn’t have under the influence of gravity.

And she took to it like a fish to water.

Em Harris was a zeroG natural.

Dressed in a specially made IR uniform spacesuit not unlike John’s, she dipped and spun and laughed amongst the holograms of his brother’s ‘bird.

Virgil had been the challenge in this little escapade. All the Tracy brothers had extensive space training thanks to their father, and Kayo may not bear the name...yet...but that hadn’t stopped their father from educating her either. On top of that, they were all extremely fit and healthy.

Em was healthy, beyond her ongoing concerns, but she was no sportswoman. Virgil was a worry wart and no doubt a little peeved he couldn’t come with on this little venture due to his own health concerns. Em and his doctors had yet to clear him for the stressors of space travel even now months after the incident at Christmas.

He was back on duty. After the bridge incident, Scott couldn’t keep him away from his ‘bird, but he was under supervision, lighter duties, and threats from his fiancee.

Cranky was an understatement.

But yes, there had been some reassurance sought to calm his brother’s ruffled feathers as to any concerns regarding Em’s safety in space. As for Scott, for once in his life, worry was not a factor. He just wanted to see exactly what he was seeing now. The elation on her face was worth every concerned frown Virgil shot his way.

There had been training, of course. Drills, safety concerns, and a ride in Thunderbird One that had him laughing at Alan until he had tears in his eyes.

Thunderbird One made for a great vomit comet, Scott manoeuvring her in roller coaster ups and downs enough to create that moment of weightlessness legendary for all space agency training.

His little brother had been dreading the mess that was inevitable with all first time zeroGers. Hell, even John had legendary stories of the puke fest in his training.

Scott was flying. Alan was training Em in the cargo bay and he was not looking forward to it. Scott hadn’t admitted it to himself the concern that was gnawing at the back of his throat. Em was strong, she could do this.

And she certainly did.

Apparently extensive experience with a hoverscoot gave you a step up in the zeroG game. Scott had her on visual while he was flying and apart from a few green moments and one unanticipated collision with the cargo bay wall, Em coasted through the training.

Alan was gobsmacked, Em glowing and Scott more relieved than he realised he could be.

The fabricators had been tasked with her uniform and here they were.

Em laughed and hugged John, the pair of them spinning slowly in the middle of the room. Scott snorted at his brother, the surprise on his face comical.

Em was obviously running on an adrenalin high. Scott knew she had been looking forward to today since he had mentioned the possibility. She had been literally beaming this morning when he helped her into her uniform. He had to admit to himself, dropping the white baldric with the IR insignia onto her shoulder had been a very intimate moment. It had been a surprise how much it affected him.

Perhaps it was too early in their relationship to consider the level of permanency that baldric and insignia represented, but god, his heart beat faster. His fingers brushed across the IR logo and down across the red cross below it.

Her had hands caught his.

“Thank you, Scott.”

He smiled just a little, but said nothing.

“I know how much you are trusting me. How much you have trusted me from day one. I won’t let you down, I promise. This opportunity...just thank you.”

He raised her hands to his lips and kissed her fingers. She didn’t understand. The trust, yes, it had taken him a long time to let his guard down. He doubted it would ever be fully down. But this? This trip? This was as much for him as for her.

He wanted to share.

He wanted to see.

He wanted to hold her as she discovered the wonder that was part of what had become his life’s work.

And now, to be honest, he was becoming a little envious of his middle brother.

“Now, now, John, let go of my gorgeous girlfriend.”

It was comical how fast John backed off.

Em laughed, and spun a little, mid-air. “Scott, I hugged him. He’s been a great help.”

The commander folded his arms across his chest and arched an eyebrow.

Something devilish sparked in her pale blue eyes and she grinned at him. “I hugged Alan yesterday for the same reason. Hmm, I’m pretty sure I’ve hugged Virgil on at least two occasions, though come to think of it, I may not have hugged Gordon yet. I must remember to do that when we get home. Then I’ll have a Tracy Hug Quinfecta.” Her grin was malicious.

John was smirking. .

Scott sent her a level-eyed glare. “I’d be wary of the Virgil hugging, Kayo is dangerous.”

She folded her arms across her chest, mirroring him. “Kayo and I have an understanding.”

That thought by itself was rather high up on the scale of terrifying.

“You were right, John. This is very interesting.” Eos broke the moment.

Scott redirected his glare to John. The smirk on his brother’s face needed removal. “Eos, what exactly did John say?”

“He said I shouldn’t kiss and tell, Commander.”

Damn, the kid was learning. Still glaring at his smirking brother, “Em, meet Eos, the other resident of this floating tin can.”

Em frowned. “I thought John was alone up here?”

She had given him the third degree the moment she found out the middle brother operated completely alone. It took him some time to convince her that John was absolutely fine and actually preferred the isolation. What he hadn’t explained was that John was never completely alone.

John’s voice was quiet. “Eos is an AI, an artificial intelligence. She helps me administer Thunderbird Five.”

Scott raised an eyebrow. Eos was so much more than that. He knew his brother considered her his daughter.

Em’s eyes widened. “Hello, Eos.”

“Hello, Doctor.” A pause. “Are you going to give John a physical examination?”

“That was the plan, yes.” Her eyes sought the source of the voice.

“Good. Make sure you examine his right shoulder. He wrenched it five days ago during the Zuchov situation, and again just yesterday during zeroG ball with Captain O’Bannon.”

Every eye in the room narrowed in on John. The shock on his face was almost comical.

Em arched an eyebrow over her lopsided smile. “Eos, you and I are going to be great friends.”

Scott had never seen John actually pale. He hadn’t thought it was possible for his brother to get paler.

Apparently it was.

“Eos!”

“Yes, John? Is your health not paramount?”

“Yes, but-“

“Doctor, I agree. We are going to be great friends.”

Em was grinning like a mad woman. Scott continued to glare at his brother. “Perhaps if you reported injury like you are supposed to, Eos wouldn’t need to report you.” There would be words later. It was unlike John to be so careless.

“Oh, Johnny, you are so busted.” Alan swooped into the room from TB3’s airlock.

“Don’t call me, Johnny.” It was automatic.

Em sobered and floated towards Scott. He reached out and snagged her, dragging her closer. She came willingly and curled under his arm. “Don’t worry, John. Eos and I will have a discussion about doctor patient confidence and reportable situations.”

“All injuries are reportable.” Scott was still frowning at his brother.

Her hand landed on his chest. “Scott.” He looked down at her.

Let me handle this. It was all over her expression.

His lips thinned. This was IR territory.

His eyes fell on the logo on her baldric yet again. It was he who asked if she could help out with the medical side of IR. After all, her eyes were often on Virgil and himself anyway. Today’s trip just gave them the opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. John was due for his medical. Em was available and eminently qualified. She had even spoken with John’s doctor in New Zealand in preparation.

Pale eyes beckoned him.

Okay. He let his shoulders drop. Trust.

She smiled just a little. “Now, I hear rumour this Thunderbird has a magnificent view.”

Scott caught John’s eyes and his brother pulled up the holographic controls of his ‘bird and slowed the spin of her gravity ring to a stop. “Eos, secure the ring until further notice.”

Gravity was something they could do without for the moment. He tightened his arm around his girl. She had her hoverscoot at hand, but the opportunity to move freely without it was too much of a lure to be denied.

John led them through the internal airlock out into the glass encased balcony of Thunderbird Five.

“Oh my god!” Em left his side, throwing herself at the view, her gecko gloved hands latching onto the smooth surface. She hand-walked to a spot where she could see the planet below clearly. “John, my god.”

Scott found himself grinning like an idiot. A nudge off a wall and he made his way over to her side. Australia, New Zealand and, ultimately, Tracy Island floated so far below. Em vibrated beside him. He reached out and caught one of her hands.

“This is real. This isn’t a photo or a video, I’m actually seeing this. I...I can’t believe it.”

It was a familiar sight. He had seen it many times before, but...her eyes were sparkling, shining with the glow of the planet below.

“You live such amazing lives.”

Out the corner of his eye he caught John dragging Alan through to the next partition in the ring. The door closed behind them.

His arm slipped around her waist as they hovered above the glass. “All the better with your company.”

She shot him a look. “Really? I thought we were past cheesy pickup lines by now.”

He sobered just a little. “Perhaps, if it was a pick up line, but I meant what I said.”

Her eyes widened and the shine in her eyes turned just a touch glassy. She shifted her mass enough to reach up and wrap a hand around the back of his neck.

Her glove was tantalisingly rough on his skin, her kiss contrastingly soft.

A breath. “Thank you, Scott, for everything.”

His only answer was to wrap himself around her and return that kiss. Her other hand grasped his waist and they were gently spinning in freefall.

God, a moment of simple perfection.

“Love you.” So much.

She was gazing up into his eyes, emotion in every line of her smile. That smile became a grin as her gecko gloves accidentally caught his hair and gently tugged it out of style. The grin became a giggle as her eyes latched onto the result. “Love you, too, flyboy.” Her kiss stifled his response as she purposefully ran her fingers through his hair.

His eyes closed in exasperated resignation.

This woman...

He was so lost.

In space.

And loving every minute of it.

-o-o-o-


End file.
